"Hey Sera, can you give me two glasses of orange juice for the both of us?" Akira looked at Sera, who was working her shift.
Sera eyed Cana curiously, nodded, and placed two glasses of orange juice on the counter. Akira then gave Cana one glass while he took the other.
Cana looked at the glass of orange and took a small sip curiously. She was immediately hooked on the taste, so she began to gulp down the whole cup. And before she knew it, she had already finished drinking the whole cup. She then looked at the empty cup with disappointment and longing.
Seeing her like this, Akira chuckled as he handed her his cup of orange juice. "Here, you can drink mine; I'm not that thirsty. "
"Thank you, " Cana spoke shyly as she accepted Akira's kind gesture. The orange juice was too tasty for her shyness to affect her.
"So can you tell me what was troubling you back there? Don't worry; if it is something we can do, we will definitely help you." Akira smiled as he gazed at Cana.
Hearing his question, Cana looked down, held her skirt tightly, and spoke in a small mosquito-like voice, " I want to post a quest to look for some herbs for my sick mother, but I don't have any money. "
Although Akira didn't hear her words fully, he still managed to hear her thoughts, so he answered, "Oh, if it is just that, then you don't have to worry too much. Right, Master? " He looked at Makarov and asked.
"Yes, " Makarov, who was eavesdropping on their conversation, answered, " Although this is going against the rules, we at Fairy Tail are happy to help with your quest, little one. You could always pay us back at a later date or even pay us in installments. You could even help us with some work here and pay off the money. "
Akira was a little surprised at Makarov's words. He thought Makarov would offer to do this quest for free. But after thinking about it, he understood that if he, as the guild master, were to make an exception to this, then they would only be doing harm. In this world, there are many people who are poor. And even though it is a bit cruel, Akira knows that the guild can't help all of them. After all, the guild members also need to make a living.
"See, you don't need to worry. So come on. Oh right, I think I even forgot to ask for your name. So can you tell us your name? " Akira, who was about to say Cana's name, paused as he realized that she never told him her name. So as not to make himself look suspicious, Akira had to ask Cana for her name.
"Cana… my name is Cana Alberona, " Cana said as she looked at Akira and Makarov.
When Cana said her full name, Gildarts, who was flirting with a waitress next to them, paused as he looked at Cana. That name, Alberona, made his heart ache for some reason.
"So, um, Cana, why don't you say what you need our help with so we can send someone to help you? " Akira said with a smile as he cast a glance at Gildarts.
"Mmm. " Feeling a bit confident with Akira and Makarov's words, Cana began to explain her quest.
The herb she wanted was something called green widow because it has a very eye-catching green color and has a sweet taste. It has the shape of a normal weed, so one would need some time to collect it. Fortunately, this type of herb can be found in the West Forest near Magnolia.
After hearing Cana's quest details, Makarov nodded and said, "Okay, it seems this quest is not that difficult, so you don't have to worry, as we will accept this quest. "
Just as he was about to assign this job to Akira, he found Akira was signaling him to give this quest to Gildarts. Makarov was puzzled by this. This quest can barely be considered E rank, as it is really easy for a wizard, as this herb can be found in the outskirts of the West Forest. So sending someone like Gildarts to do this kind of quest is really overkill.
But still trusting Akira, he still called out to Gildarts, " Hey Gildarts, why don't you take this quest? "
Gildarts was about to object, but looking at Cana's hopeful eyes, he swallowed his words. Even though he is considered scum, he couldn't break this little girl's heart.
"Okay, Master, I will take this quest, " Gildarts said with a smile as he ruffled Cana's hair lightly.
This brought a smile to Cana's face. Whether it was because she managed to spend some time with her supposed dad or whether the fact that she finally saw the hope of curing her mother was uncertain.
…..
After Gildarts and Cana left the guild, Makarov, who was keeping his silence, finally had enough and grabbed Akira by the collar and asked, "Okay, brat, spit it out? Why did you want Gildarts to go on that simple mission?"
Akira didn't answer immediately, as he had a mischievous smile as he drank the orange juice that Sera gave him.
He looked at Makarov and asked, "Master, tell me, how old is Gildarts now? "
Although Makarov was puzzled about this bizarre question, he still answered, "Well, if I remember correctly, he should be nearing his thirties. "
"Exactly, over these years, how many women did Gildarts have relationships with?" Akira inquired, his smile spreading even wider. Akira asked as his smile grew even more.
"Hmm, probably fifty or sixty, " Makarov answered doubtfully. He was not sure.
"Well then, Master, please tell me, how did Gildarts have no children when he slept with that many women?" Akira asked with a grin.
"Hisss, do you mean that girl Cana is Gildarts daughter? " Makarov asked in shock. Even Macoa and Wakaba, and others who were eavesdropping, gasped in shock.
These guys just joined in to hear about this quest that Gildarts took with a little girl. But who knew that they would hear something this shocking?
"Yes, not only is she his daughter, but she is also the daughter Gildarts had with his only wife," Akira said, causing everyone to gasp once more.
"Oh shit, then does that mean—? " Makarov, who finally understood what was going on, asked.
"Yep, the person who is sick is Gildart's wife. And from what I know, the illness she has isn't just a minor cold. Most probably it is something very serious. " Akira said seriously.
"Wait, damn, then what are we waiting for? Quickly go and bring Porlyusica here. I'm sure she would be able to cure Cana's mother. " Makarov said with a serious expression.
"Wait, Master, before we bring Granny Porlyusica here, we need to help Gildarts clean up his mess. " Akira stopped Makarov and then whispered, "You know, from what I could read, Gildarts wife is really stubborn, and she may not agree to accept treatment if we go there without the two of them reconciling.
And besides knowing Gildarts, as soon as he knew the person sick was his wife, he would definitely come running here immediately. "
"Yeah, you have a point there, " Makarov agreed with what Akira said.
Gildart's wife, Cornelia, was actually a daughter from a lower noble family. Her family lost their inheritance with her father's death and was forced into a lot of debt. So her uncle, who became the head of the family, wanted to sell Cornelia to pay off the debts.
Fortunately, before she was sold, she was rescued by Gildarts, who was doing a quest nearby. And with Gildart's help, she was able to finally be free, as her uncle was arrested by the Magic Council.
After this incident, the two of them slowly fell for each other and finally got married. And it was only after they got married that the real trouble started.
Gildarts knew that his wife was a former noble and would not be able to live the life of a commoner like himself. So he regularly took on quests to earn money to give her as much luxury as he could afford.
Although Gildart's thoughts were pure, Cornelia didn't know it. She only saw that her husband was a workaholic who wouldn't come home for a long time. And coupled with Gildart's nasty reputation, she began to feel like he was ignoring her and having an affair outside.
So one day she confronted Gildarts about this, and the two of them got into a huge argument that ended only with Cornelia leaving Gildarts forever.
After that, no matter how hard Gildarts searched for her, he couldn't find her no matter what.
But it seems Cornelia still lived near Magnolia since Cana was able to head to town safely. Or maybe they recently arrived here. After all, if they lived this close, that idiot Gildarts should have been able to track them down.
And with the fact that Cornelia is not willing to come to meet Gildarts, Makarov could only sigh at her stubbornness.
****
If you want to read up to 20 advanced chapters go to my Patreon Account.
patreon.com/Nauty_Manu
****